Five years ago, I gave the commencement speech at the graduation for my master’s degree program. In front of an audience of 300+, I announced that I had struggled with debilitating anxiety attacks that made it hard for me to leave my house. It was a mix of terror and relief to have that dark […]

Last weekend I watched the documentary “Marley.” The film detailed musician Bob Marley’s life. Around 30 minutes in, one of Marley’s friends (possibly a fellow Wailer) said, “Rasta say, the purpose of life is to be happy. Everybody supposed to be happy; and live in peace, love, and unity. Ya mon.” A wave of recognition […]

I am a little late to be posting advice for the new year. But, to be fair, I have been working on this piece since before January 1st. It seems writing about the topic in question is not as simple as I envisioned. I read several places that people were choosing a theme for their year. […]

I have always loved Thanksgiving, but not necessarily for the conventional reasons, namely food and family. I do of course love those things, but what I love even more is the collective energy of people feeling thankful – of being encouraged to thoughtfully look at our lives and appreciate all the blessings. I am always […]

For the past two years I have celebrated my birthday with posts honoring what I have learned in four decades of this lifetime. (Here are 40 and 41 in case you missed them). This year I intended to do the same by writing out a lengthy list of all the things I understand to be […]